Tuesday, January 24, 2012

A good read for those who don't know this stuff.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Nadene GoldfootWhen I moved
to Israel in September 1980 I was met with the fact that many people were
talking about the Mashiach who was soon to come. Classes were going on
that talked about it. Students in schools were getting anxious to have it
happen. I was stunned! Was that why I had the compulsion to move to
Israel at this time?

Come to find out, the Christians are also expecting
the Messiah to come again. Something was going on, here. Now that
I'm not in Israel, I have had a chance to talk to more Christians and we can
compare notes. When is he coming, do you think, and is it right to figure
out a time for the happening? Actually, Judaism frowns on it. This
has led to false messiahs appearing at times of impending doom.

The earliest I have found out is that it won't be for a couple hundred
more years, according to Jewish thought. However, it's sooner than that
for the Christians.

Now I learn that the Muslims are also expecting
their Messiah as well. What are we all doing to bring him
here?

I look back in history to the caves where the "Dead Sea Scrolls"
were found by a sheepherder in 1947, 7.5 miles from Jericho. They
disclosed that a group of males were living in these caves trying to live an
exemplary life of abstinence and perfection who lived there until 68 CE.
Jerusalem fell 2 years later. It was a time in Jewish history where there
were many many different groups of Jews or different Jewish denominations, each
with a variety of ideas as to how to behave, and they were thinking that things
were so bad for them that surely it was time for the Messiah to arrive.
Each were doing what they thought was expected of them to bring the Messiah
to them. One scroll spoke of the plan of the struggle of "the sons
of light" against "the sons of darkness." which was to begin with the conquest
of Palestine and to end 40 years later with the conquest of the whole
world. Israel has built "The Shrine of the Book" in the Israel Museum to
house them.

Today, again we see that things couldn't be
worse. We have Israel threatened to be totally destroyed by atomic
warfare coming from Iran, our old nemesis from the days of Purim with Queen
Esther saving us. The Muslim Brotherhood, with their doctrine to kill all
Jews, has taken over Egypt's politics. The Arabs called "Palestinians" are
demanding their own state out of part of the tiniest state in the area, Israel,
without any sign of wanting peace, and the whole world seems to be against
Israel as shown in the politics of the UN. It's time for the
Mashiach!

The Muslims are teaching that their Hadith (Islamic tradition
from Mohammad of sayings or acts) says that "the hour of Resurrection will not
come until you fight the Jews. The Jew will hide behind stones or trees
and the stones or trees will call: "Oh Muslim, servant of Allah, there is
a Jew behind me, come and kill him." Their way of bringing in the Messiah
is to kill all of us Jews. With a fatwa stated by their "Pope" of Islamic
thought, Qaradawi, who has called for the killing of all Jews, I am thinking
that this is their idea today of bringing it on and why he is professing such a
terrible act.

Islam has two branches of thought; Sunni (Egypt,
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia) and Shi'a (Iran. some Iraqis,) Qaradawi
is the Sunni leader but has been touted by Iran as well! Their
tradition has several Hadiths for their reference. The Messiah or Mahdi is
the redeemer of Israel who will rule for either 7, 9, or 19 years, depending,
before the Day of Judgement. He will rule alongside Jesus and will rid the
world of wrong doing, injustice and tyranny.

Shi'a Islam holds the
central religious idea to the 12th Imam, Muhammad al-Mahal. He will be an
ordinary man. The world will not come to an end until the Arabs are ruled
by a man from his family and he will establish a moral system where all
superstitious faiths are eliminated. The Unbelievers will believe.

Revelations in the Christian tradition tells of times such as what we
are starting to experience which is the start of the end of the world as we know
it. This will climax with most all Jews dying who are left on earth as you
have to believe that Jesus is the Messiah while some stories tell about a
rapture that will take up the blessed ones into a spaceship where they will find
refuge while others just say they will meet the Messiah in the the
heavens. Since Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah, they are
waiting for his 2nd coming. This is thought to happen instantaneously
and will be known worldwide. It will be visible to all with a sign in
heaven as well as with audible trumpet sounds. Before he comes, the
antichrist will be ministring on earth. Jesus's return on earth
will usher in 1,000 years of peace bringing in the New Jerusalem through
resurrection.

Pastor John Hagee, Evangelical leader with
Christians United For Israel or CUFI, certainly believes that Jesus is the
Messiah and is also awaiting his 2nd coming. At the same time he supports
Israel. He doesn't believe in a Replacement theology. He writes that scripture
plainly indicates that the church (spiritual Israel) and national Israel exist
side by side, and neither replaces the other-ever!" He goes on to explain to
people that spiritual Israel is the church and has the blessings of a physical
Israel, but it does not replace physical Israel . Replacement theologians in the
USA are preaching "that if Christians will quit supporting Israel and will
economically boycott the Christ-rejecting Jews, they will accept Jesus Christ.
So this is where all the Christian groups boycotting Israel get their ideas
from!

We Jews are not as imaginative. To us the Messiah, the anointed one (what happened to become a king was to be anointed with
oil) , the ultimate deliverer, is a living human, a king or leader who has
received Divine sanction and "unique inviolability of status". He is
not a "savior." He would be from the house of David (King David) who
would break" the alien yoke "and establish a golden age. He would be a
great political leader as discussed in Jeremiah 23-5. He will be well
versed in Jewish law, will be observant of its commandments and will be
charismatic. The Messiah will be a great military leader and will win
battles for Israel as well as be a great judge.

Predictions as to when
the Messiah would come have been based on the book of Daniel and other biblical
passages. Jews revolted in 115-117 CE with Bar Kokhba who some thought to
be the Messiah. We have found out since than that there have been many
false messiahs during times of stress. Of course many Jews had thought
that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah and this started the movement
of Christianity which has survived.

It is said that in every
generation there is someone who has the potential of being the Messiah, and he
will come about in the Messianic Age. The conduct of mankind will be the
decisive factor of when he arrives. It will be when he is most
needed.

Today I see that certain orthodox groups in Israel have
become so over-zealous in their practice that they have had to be reprimanded by
the Chief Sephardic Rabbi and the government of Israel. They are striving
for such perfection, possibly to bring the messiah, that they have overstepped
logical bounds. They have been practicing separation of sexes on
buses. This leads to behavior that is unacceptable as far as the rights of
women are concerned, such as being most rude to women trying to sit among men,
and so have had to be reminded that this is not an accepted practice in Judaism
at all. I see it as a fear that grows with the advent of such
psychological pressure of being hated and the fear of being killed in an
unwanted war. They have been trying to be so good that this act can keep
all their loved ones safe and secure. It is for the reason of bringing the
Messiah to them.

Muslims have Qatarawi with his fatwa to kill
Jews. He even wants to do it himself, though he is in a wheel chair.
Following his advice is the PA's religious leader calling for the same thing, to
kill the Jews. The Palestinians show no signs of signing any peace
agreement with Israel now. Could this be the reason why? They expect the
Mahdi to come?